A World of Inspiration for Artful Living
Pan de Muerto or Bread of the Dead is traditionally used on altars or ofrendas for the Days of the Dead. If there is a panadería (Mexican bakery) in your area, they will probably have it for sale at this time of year, but you can also make it with this delicious recipe. This version is adapted from a recipe in one of my favorite go-to cookbooks, Mexican Cookery by Barbara Hansen, now (sadly) out of print, but used versions may be available on Amazon.
Death is nature’s way of saying, “Your table is ready.”
Robin Williams
Ultimately all things wither, fade, break apart and disappear. Every fall, the trees turn and eventually lose their leaves. Following the harvest, empty, barren fields stand as silent witnesses to the end of one cycle of life and the promise of the next cycle of planting and growth in the spring. More than any other season, autumn provides a poignant reminder that death is a natural part of life. So perhaps it is not surprising that harvest festivals, held during the fall of the year by ancient peoples worldwide, frequently incorporated a remembrance of the dead as well.
In what is today Mexico, the Aztecs participated in feasts dedicated to the dead every fall. According to early accounts, the festivities involved a profusion of flowers, feasting and dancing. Offerings to the ancestors accompanied these rituals as well. The souls of the dead were believed to return to visit the homes where they had resided. To properly welcome them, relatives offered a variety of foods including newly harvested corn and chiles, along with favorite dishes such as tamales, tortillas, quail or rabbit.
With the arrival of the Spanish and the introduction of Catholicism, different mourning rituals and concepts were introduced into Mexico. The Christian celebrations of All Saints’ and All Souls’ days (November 1st and 2nd, respectively) merged with the old harvest traditions. Although the indigenous beliefs have changed and evolved over time, the idea that the souls will return to earth for one day and the ritual of making offerings to them remain intact. The Days of the Dead, as celebrated today in Mexico, continues to reflect both thanksgiving for the abundance of life and a profound respect for the dead.
Preparations for the holiday involve cooking special foods and sweets, cleaning and decorating the graves in preparation for an all night cemetery vigil, creating special Days of the Dead artworks, and constructing a home altar or ofrenda in remembrance of the deceased.
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